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Talk:Sawamura Eijun/@comment-204.14.239.107-20160203193036/@comment-99.180.113.176-20160208181752
You made some good points and I'll comment as I can. First off, yes, height makes a huge difference for pitchers. Generally the pitcher is the tallest player on the team. If you look at most MLB pitchers they are over 6'2" or over for the reasons I mention, steeper angle, more fast twitch muscles fibers for speed, greater defense area. Same reason goalies are nearly always the tallest players. If you look at some of the most admired pitchers, Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemons, Cy Young, and Sandy Koufax; Young and Kofax were the shortest at 6'2". Kansas City Royal's pitcher Chris Young is 6'10". Also all are consistent power pitchers like Furuya. I agree Eijun has more control, which is why I believe he more of a control pitcher or finesse pitcher, who generally tend to be relievers. He pitches to connect not to usually strike out, which is what a finesse pitcher does. You can argue that being a finesse pitcher is harder than being a power pitcher because one is a matter of training and the other is a matter of physical gifts. Finesse pitching takes years to master, while power pitching is largely dependant on the percentage and amount of fast twitch muscle fibers in the rotator cuff muscle group and the stability and tension of the Uulnar collateral ligament. What they will need to watch out for is making sure he doesn’t turn into a junkballer, throwing nothing but breaking balls. As for bunting vs. swing away I will respectfully disagree that bunting is as difficult. Bunting requires very little movement of the bat, a stationary position, and grants a longer time to watch the ball’s trajectory. A full swing, once started cannot easily be changed, requires nearly full range of torso motion, and must be decided in a shorter time frame to watch the ball. Being able to hit a homerun is more difficult than being able to bunt in terms of skill and body mechanics. I will posit that there is a definite one sidedness to the training as shown in the manga and anime. They have frequently shown Eijun getting help personally from both coaches, Chris, Miyuki, and multiple teammates but have only ever shown Furuya with Miyuki and one time talking to the under coach. I suspect that Furuya would grow as quickly if he were given as much attention by the staff and team as Eijun. But to be fair Kawakami isn’t shown getting that type of help either. As for arguing who is a better player, defined by strike out vs walks, which is one of the the ways MLB defines the worth of a pitcher, Furuya is ahead. If you look at runs vs. strike outs, another MLB measure, Furuya is ahead. The only one he isn’t ahead in is strike vs ball because he lacks control. Though oddly, Mei and Furuya have similar ball to strike ratios. If you look at batting, it becomes harder to gauge because Eijun rarely bats and when he does he bunts but Furuya has a higher base run percentage though not sure about ERA. Fielding is another measure and Eijun is arguably better at in the infield though Furuya has made strides, Furuya is better in the outfield. Eijun has not been shown to have skill at the outfield though they haven’t shown him trying for awhile. I guess who should be the Ace depends on your view of what and Ace should be. Is it more important for the Ace to be the strongest or one of the strongest players on the team or to be the mood maker Mei vs. Eijun? Is talent more important than hard work Sanada vs. the pitcher from Taiwan? Is being loud better than being introspective Tanba vs. the ace from Ugumor? Me personally, thinks the best ace would be one of the best players, hardworking, and introspective. Your idea may be different and that is cool. I don’t think the team is ever going to be friends with Furuya but they will and do respect his talent and his drive, which has been show to be equal to Eijun’s. I think they will enjoy playing more with Eijun because they can joke and have conversations with him. I think the ideal situation would be to leave Furuya as the ace, one because he has earned it and two because the team and coach have shown that they trust him. The fact that the coach chooses to play Furuya in left field rather than a more experienced fielder shows how much trust he has in his skills. Then make Eijun the next captain. To me that is a far better fit for Eijun’s personality and strengths. He is supportive, cheerful, inspiring, and makes the mood. They are like yin and yan. Furuya calms the team because they trust and depend on him as their ace and Eijun lifts their spirits because his mood is infection. Both are extremely important positions. Plus as a Westerner, this whole “I must be the Ace thing,” is just weird and egotistical. Starters are nearly always power pitchers and closers are frequently finesse pitchers. Neither is more important so I really don’t see why they are so obsessed with having the number one. Sanada was an ace but wore 18 for the spring so who cares about the number. I think Tanba was on to something with whoever is on the mound is the ace.